Last term, I made a six-week calendar and crossed off each day as it went by.

I thought it would help me to get through those difficult days when babies are crying and toddlers are ill…

But I was wrong!

That calendar caused me to wish away my present.

So many people tell me to savour this time; when my babies are little. Yet, I spent my days scribbling bright red crosses over a home-made calendar.

Scribbling instead of savouring. Rushing past rather than pressing in.

In doing so, I missed the point:

Jesus wants you and I to know that He is with me in the struggle.

He wants to remind us that there is joy in the midst of a rubbish day. There is beauty in the centre of a messy situation. And there is always something to be thankful for.

This week, I asked God to do something for me, at a specific moment in time.

That time came and went and God did not move like I wanted Him to. He did not come through in the way I had hoped He would.

Instead I believe God said to me:

“You have ALL of Jesus. Therefore you have ALL of the peace you could ever want right now.”

God did not change my difficult circumstances; He reminded me that breakthrough comes from knowing that He is with me, always.

Jesus said:

I am with you always [remaining with you perpetually—regardless of circumstance, and on every occasion], even to the end of the age.”

Matthew 28:20, AMP.

If you are a Christ-follower, you might have read the above verse a gazillion times.

But do you really, really know that if you are in the middle of crisis Jesus is with you?

Like do you know it, know it, know it?

Because the past week has taught me that I just have to trust in Jesus. Not trust in Him PLUS come up with my own plan.

Sometimes you have to let the mess be a mess and let Jesus be Jesus.

The good thing about following Jesus is that we don’t have to come up with the plan. He’s got a good one for us and it’s up to us to simply follow:

For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.”

Jeremiah 29:11, NIV.

The situation I’ve been praying for hasn’t changed; but, when I look to God, pressure falls off my shoulders.

God is with me and He will guide me through. He will do the same for you.

I have been reading a brilliant book recently called “Breaking Free from Body Shame” by Jess Connolly. (Go and get it!)

My biggest takeaway from this brilliant book is this: My body is good and I can be thankful that God has given me it.

Every day I can agree with the truth that God calls my body good. I can be thankful for my breath, my vision and my brain. I can praise God for these things, just as they are.

This has been so freeing to me. It has reset my perspective and reminded me that I have been crafted by a good God with an incredible mission.

As I look forward to a new term, I have decided that I need to begin with thankfulness.

I want to get to the end of the next six-week term in front of me and have a physical calendar covered in felt tip reminders of things to be thankful for.

Instead of crossing off the days with red pen, I choose to fill that paper with words of thankfulness.

I choose to focus on the good, even in the middle of struggle.

Life raising two small people is hard for me. It is often lonely and it doesn’t come with an instruction manual, as I had hoped!

• I know that many of you are in challenging seasons, too.
• I know that you might be like me; feeling like you don’t have enough time or resource.
• I know that many of you are facing a situations that you’ve never faced before. You are literally walking into the unknown and you don’t know what life will be like with this new difficulty.

I hope you will make a decision today to document joy, somehow.

When we were in a global pandemic, one of the things I chose to do was to make a scrapbook. I made a scrapbook, documenting my firstborns first year. And filling a book with cute baby photos brought me much joy in the middle of isolation.

Maybe this is something you could do too?

You could make a scrapbook, or you could simply take one photo a day of something you are thankful for.

You could write notes of thankfulness, or you could literally say what you are thankful for out-loud, in the moment.

Whatever you choose, I pray you would intentionally find joy with me.

• Let’s look for it together, as we face tough, uncontrollable circumstances.
• Let’s not wait for summer holidays or other situational changes ahead.
• Let’s be thankful for what we already have, right now, in Christ.

That is where our next breakthrough lies.

Praying for your week.